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Poynton Updates and News (PUN): 28/03/13

Easter

The Town Council would like to wish all its residents and visitors a very happy Easter break.

Easter Activities

Join the Cheshire East Leisure Development Team this Easter for a host of fun activities for all the family in their Active Holidays programme. There’s plenty to get involved in, such as Active Family sessions in Cheshire East Libraries, disability and inclusion sport festivals, Bikeability courses and family bike rides, Street Sports and new for Easter 2013 - Street Play!

Town Council Job Vacancy

A vacancy has arisen for a new and exciting role of Adult Health and Wellbeing Co-ordinator, a part time position at Poynton Town Council. The post holder, an important catalyst for change, will promote integrated and community-based health and social care, for the benefit of Poynton’s older population. Working closely with existing partner organisations such as the CAB, the police, health providers and local housing associations, the Coordinator will drive various Town Council initiatives such as the Home Services Scheme, Men In Sheds and Poynton’s Resilience Plan.

A key part of the role will also involve working with voluntary and commercial transport providers, since accessibility is essential to wellbeing. Based at Poynton Civic Hall, the post holder will work closely with the Town Council’s Youth Coordinator, to promote intergenerational projects. The role involves 20hrs a week, with a need for flexibility. Salary range is from £12,500 to £15,000, depending on experience. Suitably qualified candidates are invited to request an application form, job description and person specification from Poynton Town Council, T. 01625 872238, e-mail: ptcvacancy1@gmail.com, or collect in person from the Civic Hall.

The closing date for applications is Friday 26th April 2013. This vacancy is being advertised initially via the PUN and the Town Council’s website. If a suitable candidate is not identified via these internal channels, the post will be advertised more widely through the regional media.

Welcome to our fifth PCSO

We would like to offer a very warm welcome to our latest PCSO, Chris Jackson, who joins us in April, and who has until now been serving the Disley community.

Town Council Precept for 2013/14

Every year the Town Council raises a precept in order to pay for the range of services it provides Poynton’s residents. Although you will have seen the increase for our 2013/14 precept expressed in percentage terms in your Council Tax notice, it is important to put this into perspective – the increase amounts to 12p a week over this year’s precept. The total 2013/14 precept amounts to around a £1 per week for an average Band D household, less than the cost of a loaf of bread.

In addition to the range of services already provided, the increased precept will include payment for a fifth PCSO from next month, provide funding for a Woodford Neighbourhood Plan (to try to influence the nature and scale of development at the ex-BAE Systems site), provide a full-time Operations Manager, part fund a new position of Adult Health and Wellbeing Coordinator (see Job Vacancy item above), fund the maintenance of an updated and much improved Town Council website, and provide a budget for tree management on both Inclines.

Superfast Broadband (SfB) – Update

The ‘Connecting Cheshire’ project has reported a good response from Poynton residents in registering their demand for SfBthrough their website. It is now looking more likely that much of Poynton will get SfB by 2015 in line with the project’s objective, although the precise timing and area covered will not be confirmed until autumn this year. This is fortuitous, as to date there have only been around 10 residents showing any interest in setting up a community action group to campaign for SfB. This is probably because most households already have access to the internet at speeds that are acceptable for their current day to day requirements. The Town Council has therefore agreed for the time being not to continue seeking support for a community action group. It will however continue to work closely with ‘Connecting Cheshire’ and the surrounding villages that make up the Poynton Local Area Partnership (LAP) to ensure as many households get SfB as quickly as possible, and will continue to keep residents informed of progress through the PUN.

Annual Litter Pick

This was due to have taken place on Saturday 23rd March, but was cancelled due to adverse weather conditions. Sadly litter doesn’t stop being dropped, so this community event will be reinstated when/if it gets a bit warmer! The new date will be advised, and Poynton residents, voluntary groups and local organisations will be asked to kindly give up just a couple of hours of their time to help tidy up our village.

Utilities Behaving Badly

There have been a number of instances recently of utility companies giving very little or no notice of works, of poor traffic management monitoring, and of substandard reinstatement of road surfaces after excavation. This is a national issue, and we are pleased to note that our local MP, David Rutley, has taken this up at Westminster , using examples of such poor practice from Poynton. If there are similar instances arising in future in and around Poynton we will provide you with the details of the utility company concerned, and encourage you to contact them directly with your views.

Food for thought!

Poynton can now boast a wide range of over 30 eateries to dine in or take away. From cafés and restaurants to pubs and takeaways, Poynton can offer a truly international array of food. To celebrate this fact, and to ensure that visitors are better informed, the Town Council has published a first edition of an Eateries Guide and Village Map, detailing what is available and where.

The Guide, which also includes our supermarkets, is available to download from the Council’s website here or via www.poyntontowncouncil.gov.uk (click on Visitor Information). Printed versions of the map and guide are available at the Civic Hall too, and throughout the village.

Check it out to see if there are any venues you haven’t yet tried. There are also plans to place large scale versions of the village map, with details of the eateries featuring around its border, in prominent locations such as Nelson Pit and the Middlewood Way.

REMINDERS/DIARY DATES

Annual Town Assembly

This year’s Town Assembly will take place in the Council Chamber at 8pm on Monday 15th April 2013. It is important to emphasise that this is not a Town Council meeting, but the annual occasion for all our electors to raise issues relating to Poynton and, if agreed by the majority of those present, to vote on them. The Mayor will preside at the meeting and present the Town Council’s Annual Report. This is also an opportunity for representatives of local organisations to present their reports and updates. The agenda is required to be posted seven clear days before the Assembly takes place.

69th Anniversary of D-Day

The Royal British Legion in Poynton has kindly brought to our attention a voluntary organisation called ‘D-Day Revisited’ who, on the occasion of the 69th Anniversary of D-Day, are offering free visits to Normandy from 2nd to 9th June 2013 for World War Two Veterans, including all travel, accommodation and food costs.

These visits are open to any veteran of Operation Overlord or the wider Normandy Campaign, whether they be soldier, sailor, airman or merchant seaman. They offer fully guided tours of all the sites and those attending can also take part in various services and parades. Also included on the trip is a full medical team offering 24hr cover.

If you or a family member would like to apply for a place, please don’t hesitate to contact D-Day Revisited via email info@d-dayrevisited.co.uk or by telephoning 01244 531 765 and ask for Victoria or John. There is no cost at all to veterans. While the British Legion in Poynton has identified veterans from within its membership they want to ensure that all veterans who may be resident in or around Poynton are aware of this offer.

Ranger Events

For details of Ranger events please call T. 01625 383700 or go to the Rangers website www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/leisure,_culture_and_tourism/ranger_service/ranger_events.aspx. For those residents without access to a PC, printed copies of the monthly Ranger programmes can be had on request from the Civic Hall. If you look at the July 2013 listing you will see an entry for the 2013 Higher Poynton Summerfest, which takes place on Sunday 14th July 2013 – this event is absolutely packed with activities for all the family.

The Hole Truth…..

Potholes are a major problem across the whole of Cheshire East but Poynton certainly seems to have more than its fair share. Cheshire East claim to have repaired more than 46,000 potholes since 1st April 2012, at a cost of £1million, and now aims to fix another 42,000 by the end of this summer. Let’s make sure many of these are in Poynton!

We all can help to ensure Poynton's potholes are prioritised at the top of the list and we encourage residents to report the worst potholes blighting our roads in Poynton via Cheshire East Council's online fault reporting page at www.cheshireeasthighways.org/ReportIt or by phoning the Cheshire East Highways team on 0300 123 5020. There has been some limited activity of late, with a number of potholes filled and some road patching undertaken.

Dog Fouling

This particular form of litter can make life very unpleasant and a health risk for residents, with irresponsible dog owners to blame. If residents are aware of owners who are repeat offenders, or of stray or dangerous dogs, we would encourage them to report the details to the Cheshire East Community Dog Wardens. They can be contacted on T. 0300 123 5021, e-mail: dogwardens@cheshireeast.gov.uk

Poynton Home Services Scheme

Your Town Council, in partnership with Peaks and Plains, offers a range of fixed cost home services for residents, provided by local contractors and monitored by ourselves and Peaks and Plains. We work with contractors who offer the following services: gardening, decorating, maintenance, cleaning, electrical, joinery, home computer tuition and home modifications for disabled or elderly residents. If you are a Poynton resident in need of these services, or a local contractor who could offer these or different services, please contact Erica Adkins, Acting Home Services Coordinator on 01625 872238 or e-mail her on erica.adkins@poyntontowncouncil.gov.uk or find out more here.

Parking on Park Lane

There are still regular instances of illegal parking on Park Lane . There is a complete parking ban on Park Lane, with the only exceptions being parking on private forecourts and behind individual shops (with the owner’s/tenant’s permission) and loading/unloading in the designated bays (outlined by studs in the carriageway), but not at peak times between 8am and 10am, and 4pm and 6pm – retailers are asked to ensure that their suppliers are made aware of this.

Penalties are being issued for those who disregard the ban. Meanwhile residents and visitors will be pleased to learn that the Co-op partially lifted restrictions on its private car park off Park Lane late last year, providing free parking between 7pm and midnight daily. Although the food store has closed, daytime restrictions, limiting parking to one and a half hours, remain, and will be enforced by the Co-op. Meanwhile there is extensive free parking at the Civic Centre Car Park.

The Poynton Update and News (PUN)

A reminder that hard copies of this PUN are available on request from the Civic Hall for those of our residents without access to PCs – please spread the word! A version of the PUN is published in ‘SK Poynton’ magazine, and the Trading Post café and store on the canal at Nelson Pit in Higher Poynton also displays it.

Dates for your diary

April 2013

Sat 6th

10am-noon

Civic Hall

Council Surgery – no appointment needed – just call in

Mon 8th

8pm

Civic Hall

Facilities, Infrastructure and Economic Development Committee meeting

Sat 13th

10am-3pm

Natwest car park

‘Stroke Awareness’ event by Poynton Rotary

Mon 15th

8pm

Civic Hall

ANNUAL TOWN ASSEMBLY (see item above)

Mon 22nd

8pm

Civic Hall

Finance and General Purposes Committee meeting

Mon 29th

8pm

Civic Hall

Planning and Environment Committee meeting

Tues 30th

8pm

Civic Hall

Management and Establishment Committee meeting

May 2013

Mon 6th

Bank Holiday

Mon 13th

8pm

Civic Hall

Annual Town Council Meeting

Mon 20th

8pm

Civic Hall

Community, Order and Public Safety Committee meeting

Mon 27th

Bank Holiday

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